Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 11, part 1

[china_shop]

Hi, and welcome back to the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch. Watch half an episode a week, at your leisure, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!

Here are the previous weeks' rewatch posts.

Episode 11, up to 22:22

Summary
In the flashbacks, Sang Zan becomes despotic and nihilistic after Ge Lan's death. Eventually the villagers turns on him, and he laughs bitterly as the Awl activates and empillars him. In the present-day caves, Zhao Yunlan and the Envoy try to free Wang Zheng, and Zhu Jiu appears. Fighty McFight. The pillar is split and Sang Zan comes out to fight when the Envoy is pushed back. Zhu Jiu disintegrates Sang Zan's energy body. Zhao Yunlan shoots Zhu Jiu. The Envoy draws the Awl out of the pillar, and Zhu Jiu flees, thwarted. Wang Zheng kneels to the Envoy, begging him to reconstitute Sang Zan. Meanwhile, outside, Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng are fighting youchu. They go to find the others, and Zhao Yunlan introduces Sang Zan as the new SID archive manager. Back at the hotel, Zhao Yunlan finds Zhu Hong sleeping at the table. She seems disorientated and reacts strangely when Zhao Yunlan asks after Shen Wei. Shen Wei appears upstairs, smiling in apparent relief that Zhao Yunlan et al are back. After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Yunlan smiles back. The SID and the field trip party drink with the village head and Lang-ge. Shen Wei, seeing Zhao Yunlan's growing bodily discomfort, snatches the drink from his hand under the guise of making a toast. After Shen Wei drinks, he falls unconscious. Zhao Yunlan puts him to bed with an IV, stares at him for a while, and then notices the stinky youchu blood smell on his jacket and does the math. The next morning, Shen Wei wakes to a note saying that Zhao Yunlan et al have returned to the city. We get the events of yesterday from Shen Wei's POV -- venturing out, killing youchu, and saving Zhao Yunlan in the caves -- and then Jiajia and Xiao-Quan come in to check on their professor.



Quote
The Envoy: They held tightly to the person dearest to their heart, not abandoning each other whether in life or death.

Detail
I always forget about Sang Zan's energy body being disbursed by Zhu Jiu, maybe because we don't see his reconstitution on screen. I think this second death and resurrection only further emphasises that death isn't a permanent, insurmountable obstacle in the world of the show. ♥

Questions
Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 11?

ZYL: If my loved one was killed by those people, killed by the system that I had built, it's very likely I'd hate these people more than I would hate the former tribe leader.
Envoy: That's right. Even if they're cut into a myriad of pieces, the hatred would be hard to dissolve.

Any theories about what personal experience these two are drawing on when they say this? (Neither of them seem driven by hatred to me.)

How did Da Qing know about energy beings? Do you think Wang Zheng is really sure the Envoy can save Sang Zan, or is it just desperation that drives her to her knees? Does Guo Changcheng feel worse about zapping Zhao Yunlan last episode or Chu Shuzhi in this episode? What does Zhao Yunlan think when he finds Zhu Hong asleep at the hotel and she reacts so strongly to Shen Wei's name? How perfect is the drinking scene? And the putting-to-bed scene? ♥ ♥ ♥ In the flashbacks, how did Shen Wei know Zhao Yunlan was in danger in the caves? Do you have any theories about the power in his note that repelled the youchu?

Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama? If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares, if at all?

(As usual, these are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in. We'd love to hear your thoughts!)

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Comments

[trobadora]

Ye Zun is kind of an energy body at first, isn't he?

Ooh, good point, so there's sort-of proof that an energy body could become physical again ...!

I wonder if it's the fight-club life force that helps him gain corporeality...

The fight club life forces that Zhu Jiu collected went into letting Ye Zun escape the pillar, didn't they? And he's only a blue energy ghost then. He doesn't become more corporeal again until much later.

I am sometimes disturbed by the fact that both people who were empillared were enslaved people who rose up and overcame their oppressors.

Yeah, the reason why it's both of them is because parallels, but it really is a bit unfortunate in a way.

I do have a WIP that addresses this, but... so many WIPs!!

Cheering you on for ALLL the WIPs!

Even if he did think that, he would immediately dismiss it as Shen Wei being unnecessarily over-protective. /ZYL's survival instincts are broken

LOLOLOL, you're not wrong!

I wonder if the pillar is generating a similar field to the SID's security shield, blocking anyone with dark energy from entering?

Oooh, I like that! Maybe that's why it's invisible, because the SID shield is too.

It's so good! Oh this show!!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!! :D

I feel like ZYL being ZYL, he probably means both?

Oh, totally! :D

I wonder what would've happened if SW had taken longer to get back (waylaid by more youchu, for example, or having to fight Zhu Jiu some more). What would she have remembered when ZYL woke her?

I don't think what she remembers is contingent on SW being there; he set the hypnosis so she'll forget the incriminating part. It's only the bit where she won't worry about SW that has an end trigger, presumably because he didn't actually know if she'd wake up before ZYL came back, and he didn't want her to go after him or anything. *g*

Awww! I didn't notice that!!

Something new every time!!! :D

IT'S AMAZING I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! Thanks for laying it out like that/reminding me how great it is!! :D :D :D

YES! :D :D :D

[china_shop]

The fight club life forces that Zhu Jiu collected went into letting Ye Zun escape the pillar, didn't they? And he's only a blue energy ghost then. He doesn't become more corporeal again until much later.

Maybe you just need to keep adding more energy to work through the process. Idk.

Cheering you on for ALLL the WIPs!

<3 <3 <3

> I wonder if the pillar is generating a similar field to the SID's security shield, blocking anyone with dark energy from entering?

Oooh, I like that! Maybe that's why it's invisible, because the SID shield is too.

And we know the SID shield can keep Ye Zun out, so presumably this one could work on Shen Wei.

> I wonder what would've happened if SW had taken longer to get back (waylaid by more youchu, for example, or having to fight Zhu Jiu some more). What would she have remembered when ZYL woke her?

I don't think what she remembers is contingent on SW being there; he set the hypnosis so she'll forget the incriminating part. It's only the bit where she won't worry about SW that has an end trigger, presumably because he didn't actually know if she'd wake up before ZYL came back, and he didn't want her to go after him or anything. *g*

a) Yeah, I meant more, what would ZYL have surmised if Shen Wei then walked in the front door. Especially after Zhu Hong's reaction to his name.

b) Omg, I'd never framed the reverse-hypnosis as protective! I always thought it was Shen Wei hiding his identity/covering his tracks. I love the idea that he was just making sure she didn't charge into trouble. <3

[trobadora]

a) Yeah, I meant more, what would ZYL have surmised if Shen Wei then walked in the front door. Especially after Zhu Hong's reaction to his name.

Oh, that's a very good question! He'd definitely have concluded SW was up to something.

b) Omg, I'd never framed the reverse-hypnosis as protective! I always thought it was Shen Wei hiding his identity/covering his tracks. I love the idea that he was just making sure she didn't charge into trouble. <3

I think it was both - he's covering his tracks, but he's also protecting her. He doesn't want to get her in trouble!

[china_shop]

a) Or if Shen Wei was just ~missing~?!! :D

b) Do you mean get her in trouble with ZYL for failing in her duty, or let her stumble into trouble with youchu?

[trobadora]

b) In trouble with youchu/whatever else Zhu Jiu might have going. She'd be on her own, since everyone else is still asleep, so she wouldn't have backup and if anything happened to her, it might take a long time until anyone even was in a position to notice.

[china_shop]

*nodnod* Got it. ("He doesn't want to get her in trouble" suggested to me that he would be the one causing the trouble, but that's me being incredibly nitpicky. /o\)

[trobadora]

But he would be? If he didn't hypnotise her or put her asleep and instead just left, she'd have reason to worry and go after him, so anything that happened to her would be because of him.

[china_shop]

Indirectly, I guess? I feel like she'd still be getting herself into trouble; putting all the responsibility on Shen Wei feels like it undermines her agency. Idk.

(This show is so forgiving of people sedating/drugging/hypnotising people to protect them! Wang Zheng, Shen Wei, Fourth Uncle... and that's just in the space of a few episodes! /o\ At least Shen Wei drugs himself to protect ZYL. *g*)

[trobadora]

From his perspective, it'd amount to luring her into danger. I mean, we were talking about his motivation, right?

(And LOL, true, there is SO much drugging! *flails*)